‘Go get some water for our guest instead of interfering in my matters,’ Kamal said firmly, shooing his younger sister away. Unable to react due to Abhimanyu’s presence, Meera swallowed her pride and went away. When she returned to the living room holding a tray to serve Abhimanyu, the group had moved on another less fraught topic.

‘I would like to extend an invitation to all of you to watch Pandit Bhairo perform at the club, including Maaji,’ said Abhimanyu after thanking Meera for the water. The peerless guru of classical music, Pandit Bhairo was an acquaintance of the Ranakpour royal family, and Abhimanyu knew that the Apte family would appreciate the chance to hear him sing in the flesh.

‘Thank you for thinking of us, Abhimanyuji,’ Veena said, ever the grown up who could maintain her composure and grace under any circumstances. ‘But it’s difficult for Ma to travel such distances in her condition.’

‘I understand, Veena, that’s why I have planned to send a car for you.’ Abhimanyu explained that he had made arrangements for the entire family. That’s when Meera couldn’t take it anymore and snapped.

‘Oh! What would we do without you and your car?’ Those were the first words she had ever directed towards Abhimanyu; words that betrayed the emotions brewing inside her since the day she had first seen him.

‘Meera!’ Veena cried out, trying to reign in her sister’s outburst. Prince or otherwise, showing such disrespect to guests was just not done in their household. Neither she nor Kamal had expected that from Meera, and they were both quite shocked.

‘It’s okay,’ Abhimanyu smiled, ‘I was actually thinking of sending an elephant.’

There was a pause before Veena and Kamal realized that Abhimanyu had cracked a straight-faced joke. They burst out laughing, especially after seeing their sister’s face flushed with embarrassment. Meera got up and left, but not before Abhimanyu caught a glimpse of her trying to hide a smile. She appreciated how Abhimanyu had diffused the situation, and finally, all those ill-informed ideas she had conjured about him in her mind began to fade.

*

‘Thank you so much for coming,’ Abhimanyu received the Apte family at the gates of the Orient Club later that week. Kamal had accepted the invitation – Veena and he had wanted to take the opportunity to give their ailing mother something to look forward to. Meera had decided to come along as well; despite her outburst, as a student of classical music, she had the highest regard for Bhairo, and was eager to see him perform.

‘I hope the trip here was a comfortable one for Maaji,’ Abhimanyu inquired.

‘Yes, less traffic than we anticipated,’ Kamal answered as they walked in with Abhimanyu, crossing the brightly lit corridor to enter the club’s grand hall. It was decked up for the occasion. Huge hand-painted posters of Pandit Bhairo’s face hung from the ceiling, looking down at the high-society members of South Bombay as they mingled and gossiped while waiting for the concert to start. As Abhimanyu looked at Meera in that crowd of well-heeled Bombaywallahs, she stood out more than ever to him, dressed in a mint-green sharara, her hair cut short. To him, she was like a breath of fresh air in a room full of stale conventions.